SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Transcription

1 SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM PROJECT DIRECTORS CONFERENCE MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ NOVEMBER 9-10, 2016

2 Margarita L. Meléndez SLP Team Lead

3 GRANTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Provide leadership training to aspiring principals, assistant principals, and principals, and in some cases, teachers, central office staff, and assistant superintendents Provide multiple layers of support through targeted mentorship, coaching, and induction Provide opportunities to earn master s degrees, doctorate degrees, principal license and endorsement, and State Continuing Education Clock Hours Provide principal residencies (full-time and part-time) 3

4 GRANTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Presentations of promising practices and research at major education conferences, such as the NC Association of School Administrators, the American Association of Superintendents & Administrators, and the Texas Charter Schools Association Organizing and hosting state and regional symposia on principal preparation and professional development International outreach and collaboration (Scotland, Cuba, and Mexico) 4

5 GRANTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Administering school climate surveys to gauge impact of school leadership on overall school health Delivering seminars with national scholars and distinguished practitioners in the field, including Principals of the Year Customizing school and district-based services by focusing on targeted needs of participants and their schools: (1) equityfocused leadership; (2) instructional leadership in specific content areas; (3) growth mindset model; and (4) recruitment and retention of racially and linguistically diverse school leaders 5

6 NATIONAL RECOGNITION SLP grantees have not only impacted their communities, they have received awards and recognition from prestigious national educational organizations such as The Wallace Foundation, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, and the National Association of State Boards of Education. 6

7 NEW AND OLD SLP PROGRAMS School Leadership Program (NCLB) FOCUS - Not strongly focused. Program allows for a variety of activities and incentives for current and aspiring principals and assistant principals in high-need LEAs. ELIGIBILITY - High-need LEAs; consortia of high-need LEAs; partnerships of high-need LEAs, nonprofits, and IHEs. Fiscal Agent: Any member of an eligible entity (including an IHE). School Leadership Recruitment & Support Program (ESSA) FOCUS Program s scope is expanded to explicitly focus on both principal development and principal support for high-need schools -- allowing for recruitment and preparation of aspiring principals, as well as professional development for and retention of sitting principals. ELIGIBILITY - LEAs or consortia of LEAs (including Educational Service Agencies (ESAs)) that serve high-need schools; SEAs or consortia of SEAs; an SEA in partnership with 1 or more LEAs that serve a high-need school; the BIE (Bureau of Indian Education); partnerships of the above with 1 or more nonprofits or IHEs; Clarification of high-need LEA: the LEA itself does not have to be high-need but it must include at least one high-need LEA, as defined below. Fiscal Agent: Any member of an eligible entity (including an IHE). 7

8 NEW AND OLD SLP PROGRAMS HIGH-NEED LEA DEFINITION (Definition is found in Sec. 2102(3). It is as follows: HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term high-need local educational agency' means a local educational agency (A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and (B)(i) for which there is a high percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels that the teachers were trained to teach; or (ii) for which there is a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification or licensing. HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DEFINITION None. HIGH-NEED LEA DEFINITION None. HIGH-NEED SCHOOL DEFINITION - Definitions are provided in Section 8101 for elementary and secondary schools. However, the definition of a high-need school in Section 2343(f) refers to a percentage of students from families with incomes below the poverty line, and no such school-level data exist. A proxy must be established, probably based on free and reduced price lunch (FRPL) data. 8

9 NEW AND OLD SLP PROGRAMS PARTICIPANTS - Principals and assistant principals only. PRIORITY/ PRIOR RECORD OF PREPARING OR DEVELOPING PRINCIPALS None. PRIORITY/EVIDENCE REQUIREMENT None. PARTICIPANTS - Aspiring principals, current principals, and other school leaders. Clarification of school leader: The term school leader is defined in Sec A school leader s duties must include daily instructional leadership and managerial operations, and may include principal supervisors with these duties. PRIORITY/ PRIOR RECORD OF PREPARING OR DEVELOPING PRINCIPALS First part of new 2-part priority: Requirement that the eligibility entity has a record of preparing or developing principals who have improved school-level outcomes, have become principals in high-need schools, and have remained as principals in those schools for multiple years. PRIORITY/EVIDENCE REQUIREMENT Second part of new 2-part priority: Requirement that the applicant implement evidence-based activities as defined in Sec. 8101(21)(A)(i).* 9

10 NEW AND OLD SLP PROGRAMS MATCHING/COST-SHARE REQUIREMENT None. PROJECT PERIOD Up to 5 years MATCHING/COST-SHARE REQUIREMENT 25% of total project costs (not 25% of Federal award) from non-federal sources, in cash or in-kind. Waivers or modifications of the match requirement are allowed in cases of demonstrated financial hardship. NOTE: The waiver process is governed by Section Requests for waivers must go through SEA. In OII, the Assistant Deputy Secretary has been delegated the authority to grant waivers or modifications. PROJECT PERIOD Up to 5 years + 2-year renewal at Secretary s discretion 10

11 PROPOSED PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PROJECT DESIGN Design and support projects that specifically target principals, as opposed to more broadly leadership in schools, so that principal programs are not competing with teacher leadership or other school leadership programs (district administrators, school boards, etc.) for scarce grant dollars. This is supported by Paul Manna s most recent principal research study (2015) in which he describes the role of principals as multipliers of effective teaching and leadership practices in schools. This multiplier effect of principals in their schools justifies a set-aside program exclusively for principals. 11

12 PROPOSED PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT EVIDENCE Make evidence requirements for principal programs realistic, bearing in mind that the research base for principal preparation and professional development programs is extremely slim due to the small sample sizes in existing programs. For the last SLP program competition in FY 2013 that included an invitational priority for moderate evidence, only 2 applicants included studies that met the WWC moderate evidence requirement. 12

13 PROPOSED PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH Of the funds that are available, set aside funds specifically to increase the research base on principal preparation and effectiveness. This funding stream would be used exclusively to fund research studies on principal preparation, development, or effectiveness. The Department would provide technical assistance to potential applicants (pre-app webinars) and grantees (national activities contracts) on strategies for designing studies with a moderate or emerging evidence base (or strong theory) that are adaptable to the schools and contexts in which the studies would be conducted. 13

14 OTHER ED SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES Principal Ambassador Fellowship Program Grew out of the successful Teacher Ambassador Fellowship Program Draws on the experience and expertise of seasoned school leaders who help ED shape policies that support the needs of educators and students throughout the nation and promote effective school leadership Principal Shadowing Experience ED employees volunteer to shadow a principal for a day, and they have the opportunity to share their reflections with other ED employees, invited principals, and senior ED staff, including the Secretary This year, I had the opportunity to shadow a high school principal and an elementary school principal over 2 days. 14

15 SEED MENTORING PARTNERSHIPS OII has initiated a new effort to expand the reach and impact of its Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grants called SEED Mentoring Partnerships. SEED grantees will serve as mentors to states, districts, or organizations that are engaged in educator development efforts. These partnerships offer a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of SEED grants who are implementing a variety of projects focused on teacher and principal preparation and development. The partnership is seeking states, districts, and organizations actively working on educator development initiatives who are interested in being mentored by a SEED grantee. If you are interested in learning more about the SEED Mentoring Partnerships contract or about possibly participating, please contact Margarita Meléndez (Margarita.Melendez@ed.gov), Rich Wilson (Richard.Wilson@ed.gov), or Jeffrey Max (jmax@mathematica-mpr.com). 15

16

17